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Patrick Kelechi, Lagos
DAILY COURIER - A Lagos State Magistrate’s Court sitting in Ogba has convicted six persons – Daniel Joyinbo, Adigun Sodiq, Kehinde Shola, Salaudeen Kamilu, Sodiq Usseni and Azeez Isiaka who were arrested by the police during the 2020 #EndSARS protest in the state.
Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi convicted them after they pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of causing a breach of peace brought against them by the Lagos State Government.
However, the court set them free because they had spent more than the stipulated punishment in custody.
The offence of breach of peace carries a punishment of three months imprisonment or a fine of N15,000.
When the case was called on Thursday, the prosecution team led by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP,) Dr Babajide Martins, told Magistrate Osunsanmi that they had amended the charge against the convicts; he then urged the court to call on them to take their plea.
The charge read, “That you, Daniel Joyinbo Joigbo, Adigun Sodiq, Kehinde Shola, Salaudeen Kamilu, Sodiq Usseni, Azeez Isiaka on the 23rd day of November 2020, about 12:00hrs at Ebutte Metta, Lagos in the Lagos Magisterial district did conduct yourself in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 168(d) of the law of Lagos state of Nigeria 2015.”
After the charge was read to them, the convicts pleaded guilty, a development which made Martins to urge the court to sentence them by the law under which they were charged.
The defence counsel, Tajudeen Ojeshino, however, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
He said, “My lord, I plead with the court to temper justice with mercy as the convicts are first-time offenders. Some of them are the breadwinners of their families and are still very young. They have already spent four years in prison and have learned their lessons.”
The Magistrate then asked the convicts whether they understood the content of the charge and the obligation of the court to impose on them the maximum sentence.
They answered yes.
In her judgment, the Magistrate convicted the defendants but released them due to the time they had already spent in prison.
However, she warned them never to engage in crime in the future.
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